How much work helps mental health?
To gain the emotional benefits from holding down a job, you just need to work eight hours a week, according to research published in the journal Social Science and Medicine. Unemployment has previously been tied to mental health problems, with researchers suggesting that the social contact and structure of work can aid emotional wellness. This study, which surveyed 71,000 people, found that those benefits don’t increase beyond eight hours of work. The findings could prove useful as automation threatens to reduce working hours and displace some workers entirely.